House Building

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the additional public amenities required to support new house building in the South West.

Yvette Cooper: The need for services and facilities—such as transport—to support the development of sustainable communities is currently being considered as part of the review of the Regional Spatial Strategy being undertaken by the South West regional assembly.

House Building

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on new house building in the south-east and the infrastructure to support it.

Yvette Cooper: The South East England regional assembly are completing their draft South East Plan, which includes policies on house building and infrastructure. The Government believe that providing infrastructure is an important part of supporting housing growth and sustainable communities. That is why we have proposed for consultation a Planning Gain Supplement to support infrastructure investment.

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Iain Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the performance rating is of each local strategic partnership in receipt of neighbourhood renewal fund resources.

Phil Woolas: Local strategic partnerships are not awarded performance ratings, rather each LSP carries out a self assessment of performance against national PSA floor targets and local targets in addition to a review of their partnership management arrangements. This self assessment then helps inform the key areas for improvement. Each LSP awards itself an overall "traffic light' assessment which reflects both progress made and challenges faced by each LSP. LSPs are encouraged to share these assessments at a local level—however at a national level we can say that 36 percent. have self assessed as 'green', 46 percent. as 'amber green' and 18 percent. as 'amber red'. The neighbourhood renewal unit plan to produce a full list of all assessments early in the New Year.

Support Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the extent of the duplication of (a) information collected and (b) needs assessment required for (i) supporting people funding and (ii) the single assessment process for care;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health about integrating the service provision arising from supporting people assessments and the single assessment process into a single users plan.

Phil Woolas: There is currently no standardised approach to information collection and needs assessment for the receipt of housing-related support through the supporting people programme. Nor are there currently standardised arrangements which cover supporting people and care assessments together. Arrangements are instead set by, and vary between, local authorities and between providers. There may be some duplication between the information collected for supporting people services and that collected through the Single Assessment Process, but in some cases this is already being handled in an integrated way.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's initial supporting people strategy—"Creating Sustainable Communities: Supporting Independence"—makes clear our commitment to continue to move towards a streamlined and integrated assessment process which includes supporting people, care and other relevant services. This also takes forward the intention set out in "Independence, Well-being and Choice" to build upon the Single Assessment Process and streamline assessments across agencies, and we will continue to work with Department of Health and other Departments as we take this work forward.

Asbestos

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what advice he has received from the Health and Safety Commission on the most effective dust suppression techniques available for removing asbestos; and if he will list the acceptable methods of asbestos removal in order of effectiveness as a dust suppressing technique;
	(2)  what advice he has received from the Health and Safety Commission on the circumstances in which dry stripping of asbestos-containing materials is permissible.

Anne McGuire: The Secretary of State has not received specific advice on dust suppression techniques, and circumstances in which dry stripping of asbestos containing materials is permissible. However, the current Approved Codes of Practice (ACOP) under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002-Work with asbestos insulation, asbestos coating and asbestos insulating board (L28), and Work with asbestos which does not normally require a licence (L27) were approved by the Health and Safety Commission in 2002, with the consent of the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
	Under the regulations and ACOPs, employers are required to prevent exposure to asbestos and where this is not reasonably practicable, to reduce exposure to as low a level as reasonably practicable. When exposure can not be prevented, employers must chose a working method or combination of methods which reduce exposure to the lowest levels reasonably practicable and document these in the written risk assessment and plan of work.
	Acceptable methods of asbestos removal and the effectiveness of dust suppression techniques will depend on a range of factors to be considered as part of the risk assessment for the job in hand. They include the type of asbestos material, its condition, and the amount to be removed. Often a combination of methods will be needed. Paragraphs 67–74 of L28 (for work with licensed materials) and paragraphs 74–76 of L27 (for work with non-licensed materials) set out methods for work with different types asbestos containing materials.
	These paragraphs, and paragraph 29(f) of L28 also include references to dry stripping. Although they state that there may be some exceptional circumstances where dry stripping of licensable materials may be justifiable, the Health and Safety Executive has not encountered such circumstances.
	Further guidance on reduced dust methods of working can be found in the Health and Safety Executive publication Controlled asbestos stripping techniques for work requiring a licence (HSG 189/1), and for work with non-licensable materials in Introduction to asbestos essentials: Comprehensive guidance on working with asbestos in the building maintenance and allied trades (HSG 213); Asbestos essentials task manual: task guidance sheets for the building maintenance and allied trades (HSG 210); and Working with asbestos cement (HSG189/2).

Child Poverty

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from Save the Children about the number of children living in severe and long-term poverty.

Margaret Hodge: I have not received any representations from Save the Children. However, my officials are in regular contact with them, and were consulted by Save the Children on their recently published report "Britain's Poorest Children Revisited".

Child Poverty

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of children who will be living in poverty in winter 2005–06.

Margaret Hodge: The seventh annual "Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators.
	Information regarding the number of children living in low-income households is published in Department for Work and Pension's publication "Households Below Average Income (HBAI)", copies of which are available in the Library.
	Figures for 2005–06 are not yet available and are planned for publication in 2007.

Child Support Agency

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the performance of the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: While there have been some improvements in the Child Support Agency's performance we are still not satisfied with the overall level.
	A copy of the most recent Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary, which gives information on the Agency's performance, has been placed in the Library and is available on line at "www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp"
	The Child Support Agency's chief executive, Stephen Geraghty, is currently undertaking a root and branch review of the Agency. He will report to the Ministers and we will make announcements shortly.

Corporate Pension Liabilities

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of whether corporate pension liabilities are overstated under FRS17.

Stephen Timms: No such assessment has now been made
	There are a number of ways of estimating pension fund deficits. Estimates of deficits calculated using FRS17 are considered (although there is no consensus) to represent approximately 80 per cent. of the estimated costs of securing a pension scheme's accrued liabilities through the purchase of annuities and deferred annuities from an insurance company (often referred to as the "full buy-out" cost).

Departmental Expenditure

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Department's expenditure on research activities was in each year since 2000.

James Plaskitt: The Department's expenditure on research is given in the following table. The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001, therefore figures have been provided from the financial year 2001–02 onwards.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Financial year Expenditure 
		
		
			 2001–02 11 .8 
			 2002–03 10.2 
			 2003–04 12.5 
			 2004–05 14.2

Education and Training

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus advisers to assist them in working with young people living independently who wish to pursue further education.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 14 December 2005
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question concerning what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus advisers to assist them in working with young people living independently who wish to pursue further education. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has in place a comprehensive programme of blended learning solutions to build adviser capability. The learning materials have been designed in such a way as to equip the adviser with the full range of knowledge and skills required to support the customer's jobsearch activity and successful movement into employment, or further education.
	Advisers assist young people to receive training via the New Deal for Young People learning package. The primary focus of this learning is to help staff establish customers' eligibility to claim Jobseekers Allowance. However, as part of the learning process, Personal Advisers are instructed on the appropriate procedure when a young person is interested in undertaking further education.
	This is usually instigated by referral to the "Connexions" service in England, or the relevant careers service elsewhere in the UK (for example Careers Scotland). These organisations are the typical gateway into learning for young people.
	The Jobcentre Plus Adviser training focuses on supporting and allowing the relevant careers service to support the training needs and aspirations of this specific customer group.
	I hope this is helpful.

Incapacity Benefit

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit on the grounds of poor mental health in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants with a diagnosis in the "mental and behavioural disorders" category: Great Britain.
		
			 May Number 
		
		
			 1997 735,000 
			 1998 790,600 
			 1999 833,700 
			 2000 873,300 
			 2001 938,800 
			 2002 987,000 
			 2003 1,032,000 
			 2004 1,070,200 
			 2005 1,086,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance (SDA), including IB credits-only cases.
	3. Figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	4. Diagnoses are taken from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10).
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS)100 per cent. data thereafter.

Pensioner Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of pensioners were living in absolute poverty in each region of the UK in each of the last 30 years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 12 December 2005
	The seventh annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators. Detailed information about the number and proportion of pensioners living in low income households for Great Britain is available in "Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 1994–95–2003–04", available in the Library.
	Robust figures on pensioners in low income, broken down by region, for each of the last 30 years are not available. Three-year rolled averages for the number and proportion of pensioners in absolute low income are available for the Government office regions, Scotland and Wales from 1994–95. These are set out in the following tables. Equivalent data is not available for Northern Ireland, as the necessary information has only been collected for two financial years.
	An individual in absolute low income is defined as someone living in a household with income below 60 per cent. of 1996–97 median income, adjusted for inflation.
	
		Number of pensioners in absolute low income (millions)
		
			  Three-year rolling averages 
			  1994–95 to 1996–97 1995–96 to 1997–98 1996–97 to 1998–99 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1998–99 to 2000–2001 1999–2000 to 2001–02 2000–01 to 2002–03 2001–02 to 2003–04 
		
		
			 Before housing costs 
			 North East 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.09 0.07 0.06 0.04 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.30 0.28 0.27 0.26 0.23 0.20 0.18 0.16 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.20 0.18 0.15 0.12 0.11 
			 East Midlands 0.18 0.19 0.18 0.18 0.16 0.15 0.14 0.12 
			 West Midlands 0.21 0.22 0.22 0.20 0.19 0.17 0.16 0.15 
			 Eastern 0.25 0.21 0.20 0.20 0.19 0.17 0.14 0.12 
			 London 0.20 0.20 0.19 0.17 0.16 0.15 0.13 0.12 
			 South East 0.29 0.28 0.27 0.26 0.24 0.22 0.19 0.17 
			 South West 0.24 0.24 0.23 0.22 0.19 0.17 0.15 0.13 
			 Wales 0.15 0.14 0.13 0.12 0.11 0.09 0.07 0.07 
			 Scotland 0.23 0.21 0.18 0.16 0.15 0.13 0.10 0.09 
		
	
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey
	
		Number of pensioners in absolute low income (millions)
		
			  Three-year rolling averages 
			  1994–95 to 1996–97 1995–96 to 1997–98 1996–97 to 1998–99 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1998–99 to 2000–2001 1999–2000 to 2001–02 2000–01 to 2002–03 2001–02 to 2003–04 
		
		
			 After housing costs 
			 North East 0.16 0.15 0.13 0.11 0.09 0.07 0.05 0.04 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.35 0.33 0.31 0.27 0.22 0.17 0.14 0.12 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 0.29 0.27 0.25 0.22 0.18 0.14 0.11 0.08 
			 East Midlands 0.21 0.21 0.19 0.18 0.16 0.13 0.12 0.10 
			 West Midlands 0.25 0.26 0.24 0.21 0.18 0.15 0.13 0.11 
			 Eastern 0.32 0.26 0.25 0.23 0.21 0.15 0.12 0.10 
			 London 0.33 0.31 0.29 0.27 0.23 0.19 0.14 0.12 
			 South East 0.38 0.35 0.32 0.31 0.26 0.22 0.17 0.15 
			 South West 0.28 0.29 0.26 0.23 0.19 0.15 0.12 0.09 
			 Wales 0.16 0.15 0.13 0.12 0.10 0.08 0.06 0.05 
			 Scotland 0.28 0.26 0.23 0.20 0.17 0.13 0.10 0.08 
		
	
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey
	The following table gives the percentage of pensioners living in absolute low income
	for Scotland, Wales and Government office regions.
	
		Percentage of pensioners in absolute low income (percentage)
		
			  Three-year rolling averages 
			  1994–95 to 1996–97 1995–96 to 1997–98 1996–97 to 1998–99 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1998–99 to 2000–2001 1999–2000 to 2001–02 2000–01 to 2002–03 2001–02 to 2003–04 
		
		
			 Before housing costs 
			 North East 26 23 21 20 20 15 12 9 
			 North West and Merseyside 25 23 23 22 19 16 15 13 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 28 26 24 23 20 17 14 12 
			 East Midlands 26 26 25 24 22 20 19 16 
			 West Midlands 26 25 23 21 20 18 17 15 
			 Eastern 24 22 22 21 20 17 14 12 
			 London 20 19 18 17 15 14 13 12 
			 South East 21 20 18 18 17 15 13 12 
			 South West 24 25 23 22 19 17 15 12 
			 Wales 27 25 23 22 19 16 13 12 
			 Scotland 27 24 21 19 14 14 12 10 
			  
			 After housing costs 
			 North East 35 32 28 24 20 15 10 8 
			 North West and Merseyside 29 28 26 23 19 14 11 10 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 33 31 28 25 21 16 12 9 
			 East Midlands 29 29 27 24 21 17 16 13 
			 West Midlands 31 29 26 23 20 16 14 11 
			 Eastern 31 28 27 24 22 16 12 10 
			 London 32 30 28 26 23 19 14 12 
			 South East 27 25 23 22 18 15 12 10 
			 South West 29 29 26 24 19 15 12 9 
			 Wales 28 27 24 22 18 15 11 9 
			 Scotland 32 29 26 23 19 15 11 9 
		
	
	Note:
	1.Figures are provided using a three-year rolled average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Figures are therefore not same as previously published single-year estimates.
	2. Tables show numbers in millions and rounded to the nearest 10,000.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey

Pensions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have taken up stakeholder pensions in each year since their introduction; and what the average contribution by (a) employers and (b) individuals has been in each year.

Stephen Timms: The information available is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Calendar year Number of stakeholder pensions opened 
		
		
			 2001(11) 599,000 
			 2002 638,000 
			 2003 560,000 
			 2004 523,000 
			 Total 2,320,000 
		
	
	(11) April to December.
	Notes:
	1. Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI)
	2. Figures rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	
		
			   £ 
			   Tax year (a) Average annual employer contribution (b) Average annual individual contribution 
		
		
			 2001–02 420 950 
			 2002–03 780 1,560 
			 2003–04 760 1,430 
		
	
	Note:
	The average annual employer contribution has been extrapolated from the average annual individual contribution to stakeholder pensions.
	Sources:
	(a) HMRC: These estimates provided are based on third party information. The data is for the full year and does not include a scheme start date, so where a scheme was started in-year, although the contributions would only have been made for part of the year they have been averaged over 12 months. Therefore the estimate will not reflect the true annual average if the scheme had operated for a full year. This is particularly true for stakeholder pensions in their first year 2001–02.
	(b) Personal and stakeholder pensions. Number of individuals contributing and average contribution by status and earned income. HM Revenue and Customs Table 7.10. Contributions will include those from employers, the national insurance rebate (also known as the "minimum contribution"), as well as individuals' contribution. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/menu-by-year.htm1

Coastal Erosion

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effects of (a) erosion on the coastline and (b) rising sea levels in the East Riding of Yorkshire; what assessment she has made of the effect on local communities; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA has policy responsibility for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England but operational responsibility falls to the various flood and coastal defence operating authorities who are expected to assess local risk and possible impacts and solutions. The Environment Agency is the principal operating authority responsible for flood risk management in England and this includes the risk of flooding from the sea. Measures to reduce coastal erosion risk fall to maritime district councils under the Coast Protection Act 1949.
	The Holderness coastline is subject to erosion, management of which is principally the responsibility of East Riding of Yorkshire council. At the southern end of the coastline the land is more low-lying and subject to both erosion and coastal flooding; the Environment Agency therefore also has responsibilities.
	Rising water levels in the Humber estuary have been the main driver for development by the Environment Agency of the Humber Estuary Flood Risk Management Strategy (HFRMS) which was published in draft form for public consultation in August 2005.
	The HFRMS highlighted the serious issue of coastal erosion at Kilnsea where it is estimated that within two years erosion could lead to the loss of a flood defence embankment that protects eight houses to the south and east of Kilnsea village. At Easington, the HFRMS noted that the combination of erosion and wave overtopping is damaging the Easington Lagoons designated habitat site. The Environment Agency is also considering the potential, impacts for the coast and estuary from future serious breaches of Spurn point and a joint study is being set up with other stakeholders.
	Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) around the English coast are currently being revised. These provide large-scale assessments of the risks associated with coastal processes and present a long-term policy framework to manage them in a sustainable manner. East Riding of Yorkshire council will lead on the review of the "Flamborough Head to Gibraltar Point" SMP.
	Current coastal research and development projects include one to consider the significance of the lowering by erosion of clay 'platforms' on the foreshore.

Departmental Tendering Policy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on including (a) ethical and (b) environmental factors in tenders for services.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA expects to let all its contracts in accordance with moral principles, and would consider any case where evidence to the contrary was presented.
	Environmental factors in contracts let by DEFRA have been considered on a case by case basis relative to the subject matter of the contract, and the requirements of Community law.
	The Department will, very shortly, be making publicly available a "Sustainable Procurement Toolkit" which will enhance further the consideration of environmental factors in public sector contracts.

Flooding

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential for improving water absorption by tree-planting to reduce flooding; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA is responsible for policy on flood risk management in England. There has been some research on the impacts of woodlands and forestry on flood run-off. Responses to the recent public consultation on Making Space for Water, DEFRA's developing new Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management, reinforced the need to continue this area of investigation alongside consideration of how other rural land management techniques might contribute to managing flood risk.
	Evidence to date suggests that, while there can be an impact on frequent flood events at the local scale, effects are much less certain for more extreme events at the wider catchment level.

Markets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department is taking to encourage the use of markets.

Jim Knight: Farmers' markets, which this Department has responsibility for, are an important outlet for local food producers, with the added advantage that the direct sales they can stimulate leave producers with a bigger share of the retail price. They have been shown to help bring life back into town centres and to stimulate trade in surrounding shops on days when they are held. They can also play a part in reinstating a more individual character to the local area, where high street uniformity has possibly crept in, and in restoring a more traditional 'market town' atmosphere.
	The Department has encouraged farmers' markets by stressing to local authorities the benefits to the rural economy and to town centres which such markets can bring. In addition, we have also provided funding, at both a national and regional level, under our various grant schemes to help establish and raise awareness of farmers' markets. Earlier this year we provided funding for the 'Farmers Market' conference organised by The National Farmers' Retail and Market Association (FARMA) which was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London. Officials meet regularly with representatives from FARMA (an organisation that represents over 700 direct selling outlets) to explore how we can work together on our common goals of reconnecting farmers to their markets and helping them to add value.
	My noble Friend, Lord Bach, spoke at the Making markets, Creating places conference held at Borough Market in June 2005. That conference focused on the key role markets can play in towns and cities and highlighted their potential for supporting the growing numbers of quality food producers looking to sell their products. The event brought together leaders in the urban regeneration and food policy fields along with those who have been at the forefront of revitalising city centre markets in the UK.

Harbour Commissioners

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued relating to (a) the conduct of Harbour Commissioners and (b) the practice to be followed on appointing new commissioners; if he will publish such guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Guidance to trust ports covering the appointment and conduct of Harbour Commissioners is issued in the form of our published document Modernising Trust PortsA Guide to Good Governance a copy of which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_shipping/documents/divisionhomepage/032192.hcsp

Tram Programmes

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list departmental meetings held in relation to (a) Manchester, (b) the Sheffield tram system and (c) the Nottingham tram system programmes.

Derek Twigg: Departmental meetings are held frequently to discuss a range of departmental policies.

Iraq

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which organisation is in charge of the investigation into the deaths of the six Royal Military Police who were killed at Al Majarr Al Kabir in Iraq on 24 June 2003;
	(2)  when charges will be brought against the killers of the six Royal Military Police who died at Al Majarr Al Kabir in Iraq on 24 June 2003.

Adam Ingram: The Central Criminal Court of Iraq will conduct the investigation into the deaths of the six Royal Military Police in Iraq on 24 June 2003. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq follows the 'investigative model' whereby an investigative judge directs and oversees the investigation before deciding whether to refer the case to the trial court. The case papers, which take account of the Royal Military Police investigation into the incident, have been lodged with the court, to enable the investigative stage to begin. It will be for the investigative judge to decide whether to refer the case to the trial court once this stage has concluded.

Nuclear Weapons

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Government want to retain nuclear weapons.

John Reid: The Government's policy on nuclear weapons was set out in the 1998 strategic defence review. In the 2003 Defence White Paper (at paragraph 3.11), we set out our position as follows:
	We are committed to working towards a safer world in which there is no requirement for nuclear weapons and continue to play a full role in international efforts to strengthen arms control and prevent the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. However, the continuing risk from the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the certainty that a number of other countries will retain substantial nuclear arsenals, mean that our minimum nuclear deterrent capability, currently represented by Trident, is likely to remain a necessary element of our security.
	The Government are committed to retaining the independent nuclear deterrent.

Royal Air Force

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the posts based at RAF High Wycombe which are expected to move to other RAF units by 2008 will be relocated; and how many such posts will be relocated.

Adam Ingram: Currently, there are 103 posts expected to relocate from RAF High Wycombe. The final location for these posts is yet to be decided.

Criminal Cases (Competitive Tendering)

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will publish the advice her Department has received on the impact on ethnic diversity in the legal professions of the introduction of competitive tendering for criminal cases; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Lord Chancellor has asked Lord Carter of Coles to produce a plan to reform to the way publicly funded legal advice and representation are procured by the state.
	The Legal Services Commission has commissioned research on ethnic diversity that includes an assessment of the possible impact of competitive tendering on legal aid firms that are owned or controlled by ethnic minorities. The Commission will publish this research once Lord Carter has reported early next year.
	We want to see a fair and sustainable legal aid system that provides access to justice for all who need it, gives the taxpayer value for money and is fair for practitioners.
	We also want to see a legal profession that is more reflective of the society it serves. On 23 November, I published a report Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession setting out what steps the Government will take to achieve this.

Departmental Expenditure

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.

David Cairns: Some costs were incurred on a logo for the Friends of Scotland project which was under the responsibility of the Scotland Office until 2003 when this was taken over by the Scottish Executive. Figures on logo costs for this project are not readily available and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. The Scotland Office has not incurred any other costs on design and production of new logos or employed external public relations or graphic design agencies.

African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what financial support the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will receive from the EU as a result of the reformed sugar regime in the years after 200607; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  from which fund the accompanying measures for the 18 African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar protocol countries will be drawn; when the funds will be available; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which the EU funding for African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar group nations will enable them to develop adequate transitional programmes; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what EU procedures will be used for disbursing support for African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar group nations; what steps are being taken to avoid delays in the disbursement of funds; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what criteria will be used by the EU to determine how the transitional support for African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar group countries will be allocated.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission will be providing transitional assistance to those African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) who will lose out as a result of reform, to help them to adjust to the change in price. The Commission have proposed 40 million of funding for transitional assistance in 2006, which is still being debated by the European Parliament and EU member states. While the Commission has indicated that funding for 2007 to 2013 will be more substantial, the exact amount will be decided as part of the debate over the next financial perspective. The UK Government will be aiming to achieve appropriate levels of funding as part of this broader agreement.
	In its draft regulation of June 2005, the Commission proposed that the 40 million of funding for 2006 would come from the Commission's external relations budget. While the Commission has not yet made any official announcements about how much funding it will propose for 2007 to 2013, it has proposed that this should be funded out of the new Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation Instrument (also in the external relations budget).
	Assistance will be delivered through country-specific plans, which are to be 'elaborated in the country itself, in dialogue with the Commission'. In order to avoid delays in the disbursement of transitional assistance funding, the Commission is aiming to provide part of its funding to ACP countries in the form of budget support where this is appropriate.
	The Commission expects that the 2006 funds will be available before the end of 2006. The exact timing will depend in part on the speed with which the sugar protocol countries complete their action plans. DFID are providing over 250,000 to the six sugar protocol countries in the Caribbean to help them complete these plans in a timely manner.
	The Commission stated in their draft regulation that allocation will be based on the needs of each country, related in particular to the impact of the reform on the sugar sector in the country concerned, and to the importance of the sugar sector in the economy. We expect more detailed criteria to be determined in the New Year.

Departmental Estate

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects are planned by his Department in (i) 200506 and (ii) 200607; and what the expected costs are of each project.

Gareth Thomas: The currently planned building and refurbishment projects are as follows:
	
		
			 
			  Planned spend 
			  200506 200607 Total planned spend 
		
		
			 Building projects
			 New officeNigeria (Kano) 475,000 1.2 million 2.6 million 
			 New officePakistan 1.63 million 340,000 1.97 million 
			 New officeDemocratic Republic of Congo 750,000 700,000 1.8 million 
			 New officeEthiopia 1.7 million 900,000 3.8 million 
			 New officeMozambique 340,000 2 million 2.8 million 
			 New officeUganda 70,000 1.1 million 2.7 million 
			 New officeAfghanistan 300,000 100,000 0.4 million 
			 New officeZimbabwe 100,000 1.3 million 3.3 million 
			 New officeJerusalem Nil 900,000 1.7 million 
			 New officeBangladesh (21) (21) 5.0 million 
			 
			 Refurbishment projects
			 Sudan office 300,000 1.4 million 1.9 million 
			 Sierra Leone office 1 million 800,000 2.6 million 
			 Abercrombie House, East Kilbride 740,000  740,000 
		
	
	(21) To be confirmed, still at planning stage.

Global Fund

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will increase the UK contributions to the Global Fund to the level of the contribution of the French Government.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has no further plans at the moment to increase the UK's contribution to the Global Fund. Prior to the Replenishment Conference in September, the Global Fund calculated that on the basis of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the UK would have to contribute US$320 million for 2006 and 2007equivalent to 4.5 per cent. of the Global Fund' s resource needs for the period 1 . At the conference we increased our pledge to exceed our GDP fair shareto US$344 million for the replenishment period.
	The Global Fund is just one instrument to channel funds for AIDS, TB and malaria. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) the UK was the second largest donor, of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) country-members, providing direct bilateral support for HIV and AIDS to recipient countries in 2004. Of US$2.7 billion provided by DAC members in 2004 the UK contributed 20.5 per cent., second only to the US at 49.6 per cent. 2 In comparison the French Government provided 0.9 per cent.
	The UK Government is committed to spending at least 1.5 billion over the next three years in AIDS related work, including our pledge to the Global Fund. Most of our spending on AIDS will go direct to developing countries, through Government, non governmental organisations or the private sector.
	With regards to malaria and TB, DFID is a board member of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM). We have contributed 48.5 million to the RBM since 1999. We have pledged 7 million to the Stop TB Partnership through to 2008.
	1 The Global Fund Voluntary Replenishment 2005 Technical Note 2: Contribution Scenarios June 2005, Page 5.
	2 UNAIDS Resource Needs for an Expanded Response to AIDS in Low and Middle Income Countries August 2005, page 9. Note: these data exclude contributions to the Global Fund.

Maldives

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the Government has provided to the Maldives since the tsunami.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provided emergency support to the Maldives immediately after the tsunami, totalling 1,664,000. This has been given to several UN agencies and also for the provision of transportation material (see following table for details). We have also encouraged the provision of further assistance for longer-term reconstruction through the European Commission.
	UK emergency humanitarian assistance to the Maldives has comprised:
	
		
			
			 Partner Activity Amount 
		
		
			 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emergency waste management 400,000 
			 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Restoration of livelihoods 500,000 
			  Landing craft and engineering equipment including airlift 550,000 
			 The World Health Organisation (WHO) Specialist disaster preparedness and epidemiological staff 105,000 
			  Air transport costs for Scottish water 40 MT water and collapsible water cans 81,000 
			 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Water and sanitation engineer seconded to UNICEF for three months 28,000 
			 UNICEF A proportion of 4 million to UNICEF for water and sanitation in Indonesia, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Office for Disability Issues

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether a Minister in his Department is planned to be nominated to take responsibility for liaison with the Office for Disability Issues; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Cabinet Office participated jointly with the Departments of Work and Pensions; Health; Education and Skills; and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the research and publication of the report Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People. The report initiated the setting up of the Office for Disability Issues (ODI).
	The Departments of Work and Pensions; Health; Education and Skills; and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are now the main stakeholders in the implementation of the report's recommendations.
	Cabinet Office will be implementing the recommendations where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government Departments. Officials will liaise directly with the ODI and report as necessary to Ministers.

Assets (Corruption)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department has given developing countries as to how they can seek assistance from the United Kingdom in investigating, freezing and confiscating the assets of criminal origin which are believed to be located in the United Kingdom.

Ian Pearson: The United Kingdom is able to provide a full range of legal assistance to investigative, prosecutorial and judicial authorities in other countries and territories for the purposes of criminal investigations and criminal proceedings. The Home Office has placed mutual legal assistance guidelines on the internet which give detailed information about how assistance can be obtained from the United Kingdom. These guidelines also include information regarding restraint and confiscation procedures in the United Kingdom. More information can be found at http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/mutual-lega l-assistance/?version=l.

Colombia

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Colombian Government that criminal investigations into human rights violations in Colombia carried out by (a) paramilitaries, (b) members of the armed and security forces and (c) guerrillas are advanced and those responsible brought to justice under the new Justice and Peace Law.

Douglas Alexander: Through our embassy in Bogota, and also through the EU, we regularly impress on the Colombian Government the need to investigate thoroughly all human rights abuses and, where there is sufficient evidence, to prosecute those deemed responsible, regardless of their background, in accordance with the relevant Colombian laws. We reinforce this message in contact with visiting Colombian Ministers to London and the Colombian embassy, most recently in the meeting between my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) and the Colombian Vice-President on 28 November. We have urged the Government to crack down even harder on impunity and instances of collusion between state forces and officials and illegal armed groups. There has been some improvement in this regard.
	Moreover, through the Ministerial Council Conclusions of 3 October available at http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/gena/86442.pdf, the EU confirmed its willingness to work closely with the Colombian Government, institutions and civil society of Colombia, as well as with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the G-24, and others who may be involved in monitoring the implementation of the judicial process established under the Justice and Peace Law.

Indonesia

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the beheading of Christian teenagers in Indonesia; if he will make representations to the Indonesian authorities to take action to prevent such religiously-motivated killings; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Immediately after the incident, President Yudhoyono condemned what he described as a sadistic crime, and sent extra police to the area to ensure that violence did not flare up. On 14 November three men were arrested in connection with the crime.
	The British ambassador in Jakarta has discussed the issue with senior Indonesian officials and expressed the UK's shock at the incident.
	In September this year, President Yudhoyono stressed that the state guaranteed every citizen religious freedom and called on the police and members of the public to act to prevent violence against any faith. We co-sponsored with the Indonesian Government in Bali in July an international conference to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony.
	We will continue to co-operate with the Indonesian Government on this important objective.

Faith Schools

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether the Department has a target for the creation of faith schools;
	(2)  what assessment the Department has made of the impact of its policies on the number of faith schools.

Jacqui Smith: We welcome faith schools to the maintained sector, where parents and the local community want them, but we do not have a target for the creation of faith schools. Nor have we made a formal assessment of the impact of our policies on the number of faith schools. Decisions about whether new faith schools should open are made locally, following consultation, by the School Organisation Committee or schools adjudicator if the Committee are not unanimous. Decisions are made on the merits of the individual proposals, and in the light of local circumstances.
	The White Paper Higher Standards Better Schools For All aims to make it easier for independent schools, including faith schools, to enter the maintained sector but proposals will still have to follow the local decision making process. We have funded the Association of Muslim Schools UK to assess how many independent Muslim schools wish to join the maintained sector and are able to do so in their existing buildings. The Association is due to report back at the end of March.

Public Service Agreements

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the quality of data used to measure progress against the need to improve the basic skill level of adults as required by 2004 Public Service Agreement target number 13 is assessed.

Phil Hope: The detail about measurement issues relating to the improvement in adult basic skills levels to achieve the 2004 PSA target 13 is described in the technical note, published by HM Treasury.
	In addition to the information within the technical note, over 80 percent. of the data used to measure the target comes from the ILR. Measures the Learning and Skills Council undertake to assess the quality of this dataset include:
	Good maintenance of the 'Skills for Life' flag on the ILR, which can be used by providers to keep a check on exactly how many 'Skills for Life' learners they currently have.
	The learner information suite (LIS) includes the ILR validation reports which improve data quality by showing errors and warnings in ILR data.
	LIS reports show 'Skills for Life' numbers, and providers can run these reports to see exactly how many 'Skills for Life' learners they currently have, helping to maintain the quality of data.
	Credibility reports applied throughout the data collection process to maintain accurate data.
	Quarterly administrative statistics on qualifications will also be collected directly from awarding bodies. This will be used to verify Learning and Skills Council, prison service and Jobcentre Plus data on achievements, assess the coverage of these sources and allow adjustments for under-coverage.
	
		Spending review 2004DFES PSA targetstechnical notes
		
			 Target Technical note 
			 Tackle the adult skills gap  
		
		
			 13. Increase the number of adults with the skills required for employability and progression to higher levels of training through: improving the basic skill levels of 2.25 million adults between the launch of 'Skills for Life' in 2001 and 2010, with a milestone of 1.5 million in 2007; and reducing by at least 40 percent. the number of adults in the workforce who lack NVQ 2 or equivalent qualifications by 2010. Working towards this, one million adults in the workforce to achieve level 2 between 2003 and 2006. The first part of this target covers those aged 16 and above in England, who have left compulsory education excluding those in school sixth forms. The target refers to individuals significantly improving their basic skills. This could be through public or privately supported provision. Publicly supported provision is largely funded by the Learning and Skills Council, but also includes provision through, Jobcentre Plus, the Prison Service and other Government funded routes. The LSC are also proposing to have this target. Improvement refers to the individual passing an appropriate attainment threshold in: Literacy, Numeracy or ESOL at Entry Level 3, Level 1or Level 2 mapped to the National Standards developed by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority. Key Skills test in Application of Number or Communication at Levels 1 or 2 GCSEs in Maths or English. There will be portfolio-based assessment for some, especially those at the lowest skill levels. The target refers to numbers of adults not qualifications. Progress will be monitored through collation of administrative statistics on recruitment, retention and achievement from the Learning and Skills Council and other relevant sources. This data will be received quarterly. Additional sources include quarterly data of learning within the Prison Service and Jobcentre Plus. To improve timeliness, quarterly administrative statistics on qualifications will also be collected directly from Awarding Bodies. This will also be used to verify LSC, Prison Service and Jobcentre Plus achievements, assess the coverage of these sources and allow adjustments for under-coverage. The time lag between qualifications and data collected by the LSC is about six months and for Awarding Body data is about three months. The target period began on 1 April 2001 and ends on 31 July 2010 at the end of the academic year 2009/10. Final data on achievement will be available in Autumn 2010. A milestone of 1.5 million achievements by 2007 will be reported against in Autumn 2007. The second part of the PSA target covers attainment of all economically active adults in England between the ages of 1864 (males) or 1859 (females). Economically active adults, who also constitute what is meant by the workforce, are either employees, self-employed or unemployed according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition and thus actively seeking work. Progress towards the target will  be measured in terms of the increase in the number of economically active adults with a level 2 or higher qualification between 2001 and 2010. The data used to monitor progress towards achieving the target come from the Autumn quarter of the LFS (available in January of the following year). All achievements recorded through the LFS, whether gained through public or private investment, will count towards the target This reflects the nature of the target as a shared ambition, whose achievement is dependent not just on Government interventions and funds but also on the voluntary actions of employers and individuals choosing to spend time and private resources on achieving qualifications. The baseline for 2010 is the Autumn 2001 LFS figure (when 16.0 million economically active adults had at least a level 2 qualification whilst 7.1 million were below level 2). After allowing for the estimated increase in the size of the workforce between 2001 and 2010, achievement of a 40 percent. reduction in the numbers without a level 2 requires an additional 3.6 million first level 2 or higher qualifications over that period. From spring 2007 the LFS is likely to change from being a seasonal quarterly survey to calendar quarters. The 4th quarter (sampling in October, November and December) will provide the closest comparison to the old Autumn quarter (sampling in September, October and November) used to set the target baseline. Therefore the final target outturn will be assessed using the 4th quarter of the 2010 LFS. The baseline for the 2006 milestone target is autumn 2002 to be assessed against the autumn 2006 quarter of the LFS. The Level 2 threshold is reached by obtaining any of the following: Five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C; an intermediate GNVQ; an NVQ level 2 or any other equivalent Level 2 qualification; one A-level (grade A to E); 2 AS levels (grades A to E) or any other full Level 3, Level 4 or Level 5 qualification. Figures related to this target have been previously published in an annual statistical first release (SFR) since 2001, most recently in The Level of Highest Qualification Held By Young People and Adults: England 2003. published on 5 February 2004. The SFR is within the National Statistics remit. 
		
	
	Note:
	The Labour Force Survey was re-grossed in spring 2004 in line with the 2001 Census results. Estimates published before this date will not be consistent with those published subsequently. However, future publications will present a consistent record of progress since the base year.

School Exclusions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many exclusions there were of (a) boys and (b) girls from schools in (i) Brent and (ii) London in each of the last five years; and what the (A) age and (B) ethnic origin was of each excluded child.

Jacqui Smith: Accurate local statistics on the characteristics of excluded pupils are not available for recent years due to known quality issues with the data provided by schools to the Department. An annual checking exercise carried out with local authorities confirms overall numbers of permanent exclusions but this does not extend to gender, age and ethnic origin breakdowns. The Department does hold information about the individual characteristics of the majority of excluded pupils who are permanently excluded but does not publish data in a form that identifies individuals. This practice is consistent with the Data Protection Act, the Human Rights Act 1998 and with other relevant provisions.
	The available information for Brent and London is given in the table.
	National estimates of pupil characteristics can be found in the Statistical First Release on 'Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England 2003/04', http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000582/index.shtml.
	
		Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools (26) , (27) Number and percentage of permanent exclusions: Brent local authority, London Government office region: 1999/2000 to 2003/04
		
			  1999/2000 
			  Number Percentage(28) 
			  Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total 
		
		
			 London 1,076 213 1,289 0.20 0.04 0.12 
			 304 Brent 45 12 57 0.24 0.06 0.15 
		
	
	
		
			  2000/01(29) 2001/02(29) 2002/03(29) 2003/04(29) 
			  Number Percentage(28) Number Percentage(28) Number Percentage(28) Number Percentage(28) 
			  Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total 
		
		
			 London 1,448 0.14 1,456 0.14 1,473 0.14 1,585 0.15 
			 304 Brent 49 0.13 38 0.10 54 0.14 69 0.18 
		
	
	(26) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(27) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(28) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	(29) Figures are as confirmed by local authorities via the data checking exercise.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

School Science

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to encourage more graduates into teaching (a) physics, (b) chemistry and (c) mathematics at (i) GCSE and (ii) A Level.

Jacqui Smith: In relation to schools, since 2000, we have provided 6,000 bursaries to PGCE trainee teachers in a range of priority subjects. We have also provided them with a 4,000 Golden Hello. From September 2005 the bursary for mathematics and science trainees rose to 7,000, and from September 2006 it will increase to 9,000 for all priority subject trainees. Mathematics and science teachers will also be provided with an increased Golden Hello of 5,000 (2,500 for other priority subjects).
	Routes into teaching are now also much more diverse. Over 15 per cent. of newly qualified teachers are trained through employment based teacher training schemes (EBTTS)mainly the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP), the Registered Teacher Programme (RTP), and the Overseas Trained Teacher Programme (OTTP). Each of these schemes carries its own incentives, comprising of a combination of support with the costs of training, salary grants and training grants.
	We also started 'Teach First' in 2003 and this involves training top graduates from some of the UK's top universities to achieve Qualified Teacher Status. Trainees are trained to teach priority subjects in some of London's most challenging schools. The scheme began in London and will be extended to Manchester in 2006 and four other cities from 2007/08.
	The TDA is also funding enhancement courses to increase the number of people able to start initial teacher training in physics, chemistry and mathematics. These courses fill gaps in the subject knowledge of participants who in all other respects meet the requirements for teaching. Following a successful pilot, these courses will be made available nationally from January 2006, and will enable up to 700 additional people per year to qualify to teach in these subjects. Courses are free to participants, and each participant receives a training bursary of 150 per week.
	All secondary teacher training will enable participants to teach to GCSE level, and in many cases to A-Level.
	In the post-compulsory sector, there are two main incentive programmes in place for attracting new teachers. Training Bursaries were introduced in 2000 and offer an additional 6,000 in shortage areas but rising to 7,000 for Maths and Science, and this will rise to 9,000 from September 2006. Golden Hellos were introduced in 2002 and currently offer an additional 4,000 for shortage areas (e.g. ICT, engineering, construction) but rising to 5,000 for Maths and Science.

Schools (Hounslow)

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to ensure that all schools in the London borough of Hounslow are (a) rebuilt and (b) modified to meet (i) Building Bulletin Standards 93 (for insulation) and (ii) 101 (for ventilation).

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 December 2005
	For secondary schools, the Building Schools for the Future Programme in conjunction with the Academies programme aims to renew all secondary schools in England in 10 to 15 waves starting from 200506. Investment available for primary schools will be increased by an additional 150 million in 200809 and 500 million from 200910 onwards. Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under 700 million in 199697 to 5.5 billion this year and will rise further to 6.3 billion by 200708.
	All new buildings and some alterations or refurbishment works are subject to the acoustic performance standards of the Building Regulations. For schools, Building Bulletin 93 is quoted in the regulations as an approved document, whereby compliance with section 1 of the Bulletin would satisfy the acoustic requirements of the regulations. Compliance with the Bulletin would also satisfy the acoustic requirements of the Education (School Premises) Regulations.
	The Building Regulations similarly contain ventilation performance standards. Consultation on the draft Building Bulletin 101 is nearing completion and it is anticipated that this Bulletin will in spring 2006 similarly become an approved document under the Building Regulations, whereby compliance with the Bulletin would satisfy the ventilation requirements of the regulations.
	The reply given on 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1457W, by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Ms Buck), refers to the White Paper The Future of Air Transport, in which the Government stated that operators of the larger UK airports are expected to offer acoustic insulation or alternative mitigation measures for noise-sensitive buildings such as schools.

Teachers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of trained teachers not employed in teaching, broken down by subject specialism.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the subject specialism of out of service teachers is not available.
	Table 46 of the Statistics of Education, School Workforce in England, 2004 edition provides the number of qualified teachers under the age of 60 not in service at March 2003. This publication has been placed in the House Libraries.
	
		Table 46a: Out of service teachers aged under 60, qualified teachers out of service (30) , (31) at 31 March 2003 aged under 60 who were previously in service, by last known sector, calendar year of last service, sex and age at 31 March 20033, 4England
		
			 Thousand 
			  Calendar year of last service 
			  Nursery and primary Secondary 
			  Before 1988 1988 to 1992 1993 to 1997 1998 to 2003 All years Before 1988 1988 to 1992 1993 to 1997 1998 to 2003 All years 
		
		
			 Men   
			 Under 25 0.1 0.1 
			 25290.5 0.51.4 1.4 
			 3034   0.2 0.7 0.9   0.9 2.2 3.1 
			 3539  0.2 0.4 0.6 1.2 0.1 0.9 1.0 1.7 3.7 
			 4044 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.5 1.2 1.8 1.3 0.8 1.5 5.4 
			 4549 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.6 1.7 5.1 1.3 0.9 1.8 9.1 
			 5054 1.8 0.4 0.4 0.7 3.3 10.6 1.7 1.1 2.2 15.6 
			 5559 3.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 4.1 12.0 1.3 0.7 1.1 15.0 
			 Total 5.8 1.6 1.7 4.0 13.0 29.6 6.6 5.4 11.9 53.5 
			
			 Women   
			 Under 250.4 0.40.2 0.2 
			 2529   0.1 4.1 4.3   0.1 3.4 3.5 
			 3034  0.1 2.1 5.9 8.1  0.1 1.7 5.2 7.0 
			 3539 0.1 2.1 3.2 4.3 9.7 0.1 1.7 2.4 3.9 8.1 
			 4044 1.2 2.1 1.8 2.6 7.6 2.7 2.4 1.8 3.1 9.9 
			 4549 4.4 1.8 1.7 3.2 11.1 8.1 2.3 1.8 3.6 15.9 
			 5054 12.2 2.3 2.2 4.1 20.7 15.2 2.6 2.1 4.3 24.1 
			 5559 16.4 2.2 1.7 2.6 22.8 18.3 2.3 1.8 2.8 25.2 
			 Total 34.2 10.5 12.8 27.1 84.7 44.4 11.3 11.8 26.5 94.0 
			
			 Men and women   
			 Under 250.5 0.50.3 0.3 
			 2529   0.2 4.6 4.8   0.1 4.7 4.9 
			 3034  0.1 2.4 6.6 9.1  0.1 2.6 7.5 10.1 
			 3539 0.1 2.3 3.6 4.9 10.9 0.2 2.6 3.5 5.6 11.8 
			 4044 1.3 2.4 2.0 3.0 8.7 4.5 3.7 2.6 4.5 15.3 
			 4549 5.0 2.1 2.0 3.8 12.8 13.2 3.6 2.7 5.4 25.0 
			 5054 14.0 2.6 2.6 4.8 24.0 25.8 4.3 3.2 6.4 39.7 
			 5559 19.6 2.5 1.9 2.9 26.9 30.2 3.6 2.5 3.9 40.3 
			 Total 40.0 12.1 14.5 31.1 97.7 73.9 17.9 17.3 38.4 147.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Calendar year of last service 
			  Special and PRU Other(34) 
			  Before 1988 1988 to 1992 1993 to 1997 1998 to 2003 All years Before 1988 1988 to 1992 1993 to 1997 1998 to 2003 All years 
		
		
			 Men   
			 Under 25   
			 2529 0.2 0.2 
			 30340.1 0.1   0.1 0.4 0.5 
			 35390.1 0.1  0.1 0.2 0.5 0.8 
			 4044   0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.5 1.3 
			 4549 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.7 2.3 
			 5054 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 1.6 0.7 0.7 1.1 4.0 
			 5559 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5 2.2 0.6 0.4 0.7 3.8 
			 Total 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.6 1.9 4.7 2.0 2.1 4.1 12.9 
			
			 Women   
			 Under 25   
			 25290.1 0.10.5 0.6 
			 30340.2 0.3   0.3 1.2 1.5 
			 3539  0.1 0.1 0.2 0.4  0.2 0.5 1.0 1.7 
			 4044 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.9 2.3 
			 4549 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 1.1 1.4 0.5 0.6 1.2 3.7 
			 5054 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.3 1.4 2.1 0.6 0.8 1.9 5.4 
			 5559 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.3 2.5 0.7 0.7 1.5 5.4 
			 Total 2.1 0.7 0.8 1.5 5.2 6.4 2.6 3.4 8.2 20.6 
			
			 Men and women   
			 Under 25   
			 25290.1 0.10.8 0.8 
			 3034   0.1 0.3 0.3   0.4 1.7 2.1 
			 3539  0.1 0.2 0.3 0.6  0.3 0.7 1.5 2.5 
			 4044 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.9 0.6 0.8 0.8 1.4 3.6 
			 4549 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.5 2.1 1.0 1.0 2.0 6.0 
			 5054 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.5 2.0 3.6 1.3 1.5 2.9 9.4 
			 5559 1.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 1.8 4.7 1.3 1.1 2.1 9.1 
			 Total 2.8 1.0 1.1 2.1 7.0 11.1 4.6 5.5 12.3 33.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Calendar year of last service 
			  Total 
			  Before 1988 1988 to 1992 1993 to 1997 1998 to 2003 All years 
		
		
			 Men  
			 Under 250.1 0.1 
			 2529   0.1 2.1 2.2 
			 3034   1.2 3.4 4.7 
			 3539 0.1 1.2 1.6 2.9 5.8 
			 4044 2.2 1.9 1.4 2.6 8.0 
			 4549 6.6 2.1 1.7 3.2 13.6 
			 5054 14.2 2.8 2.3 4.1 23.4 
			 5559 17.6 2.4 1.3 2.1 23.4 
			 Total 40.7 10.5 9.6 20.5 81.2 
			   
			 Women  
			 Under 250.7 0.7 
			 2529   0.2 8.1 8.4 
			 3034  0.2 4.2 12.6 16.9 
			 3539 0.2 4.1 6.3 9.4 20.0 
			 4044 4.4 5.1 4.2 6.7 20.5 
			 4549 14.3 4.9 4.2 8.4 31.7 
			 5054 30.2 5.6 5.3 10.5 51.6 
			 5559 38.0 5.3 4.3 7.1 54.7 
			 Total 87.1 25.1 28.8 63.4 204.4 
			   
			 Men and women  
			 Under 250.8 0.8 
			 2529   0.3 10.2 10.5 
			 3034  0.2 5.4 16.0 21.6 
			 3539 0.3 5.3 8.0 12.2 25.8 
			 4044 6.7 7.0 5.6 9.3 28.5 
			 4549 20.8 7.0 5.9 11.6 45.3 
			 5054 44.3 8.5 7.6 14.6 75.0 
			 5559 55.6 7.7 5.6 9.2 78.1 
			 Total 127.8 35.6 38.4 83.9 285.7 
		
	
	(30) Excluding those who are receiving a pension from the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS).
	(31) Some in service teachers may be shown as not in service because their service details are not recorded. These may include qualified teachers in the 'old' university sector, teachers in the independent sector who are not members of the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), part-time teachers outside the maintained nursery, primary and secondary sector who are not members of the TPS.
	(32) Provisional data.
	(33) Figures below 50 will be rounded to zero.
	(34) Other includes the independent sector, further and higher education.
	Source:
	Database of Teacher Records.
	
		Table 46b: Out of service teachers aged under 60, qualified teachers who have never been in servicel up to 31 March 2003 aged under 60, by calendar year qualified, sex and age at 31 March 20032, 3England
		
			 Thousand 
			  Calendar year qualified 
			  Before 1988 1988 to 1992 1993 to 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 All years 
		
		
			 Men  
			 Under 25  0.0 0.1 0.4 0.6 
			 2529   0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 2.3 
			 3034  0.3 2.0 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 3.2 
			 3539 0.4 1.2 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 3.1 
			 4044 2.2 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 3.7 
			 4549 5.5 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0   6.4 
			 5054 4.7 0.2 0.3 0.0 5.3 
			 5559 2.7 0.2 0.2  3.1 
			 Total 15.6 2.8 4.7 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 1.3 27.7 
			   
			 Women  
			 Under 25  0.2 0.6 1.5 2.3 
			 2529   1.4 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 1.0 6.0 
			 3034  0.7 4.0 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.5 6.7 
			 3539 0.8 2.2 1.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 5.4 
			 4044 4.6 0.8 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 7.1 
			 4549 13.3 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 15.0 
			 5054 6.3 0.4 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.0   7.3 
			 5559 3.6 0.3 0.2  4.1 
			 Total 28.7 4.9 9.0 2.1 1.8 1.6 2.1 3.8 53.9 
			   
			 Men and women  
			 Under 25  0.2 0.7 1.9 2.9 
			 2529   1.9 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.4 8.3 
			 3034  1.0 6.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.7 9.9 
			 3539 1.2 3.4 2.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.5 8.4 
			 4044 6.8 1.5 1.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 10.8 
			 4549 18.9 0.8 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 21.4 
			 5054 11.0 0.6 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 12.7 
			 5559 6.3 0.4 0.4  7.3 
			 Total 44.3 7.7 13.7 3.1 2.6 2.3 3.0 5.1 81.6 
		
	
	(35) Some in service teachers may be shown as not in service because their service details are not recorded. These may include qualified teachers in the 'old' university sector, teachers in the independent sector who are not members of the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), part-time teachers outside the maintained nursery, primary and secondary sector who are not members of the TPS.
	(36) Data are provisional.
	(37) Figures below 50 will be rounded to zero.
	Source:
	Database of Teacher Records.

ECT Machines

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has received reports that staff at one of the Province's psychiatric hospitals were unable to provide the serial numbers of their ECT machines, and did not have calibration cards or means to assess compliance with manufacturers' pre-calibration settings for the machine.

Shaun Woodward: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has received communication containing allegations about the use of ECT machines. These refer to experiences in the early 1990s. Guidance on good practice Medical Device and Equipment Management for Hospital and Community-based Organisation was issued on July 1999. This covered the issue of keeping a record of serial numbers and employing a routine maintenance policy to keep equipment working reliably and safely.

Mr. MacEntee

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1630W, on the Barron Inquiry, whether the further information provided to Mr. MacEntee included information on (a) a white van with a UK registration plate and (b) the location of British Services personnel at the time of the bombings.

Peter Hain: The British Government have given Mr. MacEntee all the information that they have identified as being relevant to his terms of reference. His terms of reference include:
	Why the Garda did not follow-up on the following leads:
	i. information that a white van, with an English registration plate, was parked outside the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in Portland Row and was later seen parked in the deep sea area of the B  I ferry port in Dublin, and the subsequent contact made with a British Army officer on a ferry boat leaving that port;
	ii. information relating to a man who stayed in the Four Courts Hotel between 15 and 17 May, 1974 and his contacts with the UVF;
	iii. information concerning a British Army corporal allegedly sighted in Dublin at the time of the bombings.
	Any information relating to these points which was uncovered by the Government's trawl of their files would have been passed to Mr. MacEntee.

Supermarkets (Product Source)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to UK supermarkets to encourage them to source more of their products from Northern Ireland producers.

Angela Smith: The issue of local sourcing has been a high priority since the UK supermarkets entered the Northern Ireland retail market. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Invest Northern Ireland continue to work closely with the retail multiples to encourage them to increase trade with Northern Ireland suppliers. Also, as part of the implementation of the Fit For Market report, supermarket representatives are currently participating in the development of a domestic marketing campaign for local produce. I consider that this work is vital to maximise the uptake of local produce and bring long-term benefit to the Northern Ireland agri-food industry.

Wind Farms

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial compensation is made available to persons whose property values are adversely affected by the development of wind farms pursuant to the granting of departmental consents.

Malcolm Wicks: A study by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2004 suggests that wind farms have no lasting impact on UK house prices. It shows that local house prices recover from any initial impact once a wind farm has been operating for two years.
	Also evidence from the Public attitude to wind farms: a survey of local residents in Scotland conducted by MORI in 2003 suggests that those living nearest to wind farms are their strongest advocates. The results of this survey can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/environment/pawslr-00.asp

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is being prepared on prevention of the spread of Avian influenza to humans; and what the cost has been to date.

Rosie Winterton: It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal 'flu, avian 'flu and pandemic 'flu. Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds. Seasonal flu refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and causes widespread illness each winter. Pandemic 'flu will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can easily spread between humans, and to which they do not have immunity.
	Avian influenza is a disease of birds and very few humans have been affected. HN1 is the strain currently circulating in poultry and is known as avian (bird) 'flu. Although there is a risk that bird 'flu may spread to the United Kingdom, the risk to humans remains low. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has produced a contingency plan for dealing with Avian influenza and this is available on their website at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/avianinfluenza-contplan.htm
	A joint Government Department and industry working group on worker protection has produced guidance for poultry workers on protection against the risk of Avian influenza. This was published on Defra's website on 31 October and will be made available to the poultry industry through their poultry organisations. All involved in developing the guidance have borne their own costs. Defra will be paying for the production of leaflets, posters, etc.

Blood/Bone Marrow Donors

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to encourage people from black and minority ethnic communities to become (a) blood donors and (b) bone marrow donors.

Caroline Flint: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for managing blood supplies in England and North Wales and for managing the British Bone Marrow Register (BBMR). It does this through its operating divisionthe National Blood Service (NBS). The NBS recruits blood donors from the general public and potential bone marrow donors from the active blood donor populations.
	In 2004, the NBS commissioned the Central Office of Information to lead on a long-term strategy to attract more people from ethnic communities to give blood and join the BBMR. A campaign called OneBlood is addressing existing barriers by raising awareness of the importance and relevance of blood donation, encouraging individual and community ownership of the issue, tackling religious objections and myths and encouraging blood donation.
	The NBS has also developed an advertising campaign, Are you my Type?' which features black and minority ethnic celebrities.

Cancelled Operations

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled by Lancashire hospital trust (a) for medical reasons and (b) because of lack of beds at (i) Royal Preston hospital and (ii) Queen's Park hospital in each month between January 2004 and September 2005.

Liam Byrne: The information is not available in the format requested. However, information relating to the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust and the East Lancashire hospitals NHS trust is available on a quarterly basis which is shown in the following table.
	
		Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trustcancelled operations
		
			 Year/ quarter  Number of last minute cancelled operations 
		
		
			 200304   
			 Q4 January to March 145 
			
			 200405   
			 Q1 April to June 102 
			 Q2 July to September 114 
			 Q3 October to December 059 
			 Q4 January March 131 
			
			 200506   
			 Q1 April to June 123 
			 Q2 July to September 84 
		
	
	
		East Lancashire hospitals NHS trustcancelled operations
		
			 Year/ quarter  Number of last minute cancelled operations 
		
		
			 200304   
			 Q4 January to March 166 
			
			 200405   
			 Q1 April to June 176 
			 Q2 July to September 156 
			 Q3 October to December 127 
			 Q4 January to March 130 
			
			 200506   
			 Q1 April to June 112 
			 Q2 July to September 82 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data are collected each quarter on an NHS trust basis only.
	2. A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital, or on the day of their operation. For example, if the patient is to be admitted to hospital on a Monday for an operation scheduled for the following day (Tuesday). If the hospital cancels the operation for non-clinical reasons on the Monday then this would count as a last minute cancellation. This includes patients who have not actually arrived in hospital, but who have been telephoned at home prior to their arrival.
	3. Some common non-clinical reasons for cancellations by the hospital include: ward beds unavailable; surgeon unavailable; other emergency patient needing theatre; theatre list over-run; equipment failure; administrative error; anaesthetist unavailable; theatre staff unavailable; and critical care bed unavailable.
	Source:
	OMCO

Cancer

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to increase awareness of (a) breast and (b) prostate cancer among ethnic minority communities.

Rosie Winterton: Together with Cancer Research UK, the Department produces the Be Breast Aware leaflet, which advises women on how to be breast aware and what signs to watch for.
	The leaflet is widely available from primary care surgeries and breast screening units and is available in Bengali, Chinese, Gurjarati, Polish, Punjabi, Urdu and Vietnamese.
	Currently we are providing 58,710 to fund Breast Cancer Care's Here for you, Near to you project, which aims to provide breast cancer information and awareness for ethnic minority groups.
	We have previously provided Breakthrough Breast Cancer with 40,000 to fund their To develop the voice of breast cancer patients project. This project was aimed at difficult to reach groups, ethnic minorities and socially disadvantaged.
	Thanks to the work of the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group (PCAG) we now have, for the first time, a definitive set of key messages for the general public about the prostate, including prostate cancer. 20 voluntary, patient and professional groups have signed up to the key messages.
	A pilot communications programme using the key messages, jointly funded by the Department and signatories to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action, is expected to start in February 2006.
	We are currently providing 105,000 to the Prostate Cancer Charity to improve awareness of the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer in African and Afro-Caribbean men in Britain. We have previously provided the Prostate Cancer Charity with 135,000 to fund a project to increase awareness of prostate cancer in all men.

Correspondence

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer the letters from the hon. Member for Colchester of 3 February 2005 and 15 September 2005.

Rosie Winterton: My noble Friend, Lord Warner replied to the hon. Member's letter of 3 February 2005 on 16 February, and a copy of the reply has been sent to him.
	A careful search has shown no trace of his letter of 15 September 2005 being received in the Department. However, if the hon. Member would like to send a copy of this letter, I will ensure that a reply is sent to him without delay.

Dentistry

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures she plans to put in place to ensure the creation of new dental schools do not adversely affect existing dental schools;
	(2)  what account she will take, when considering allocation of additional undergraduate dental places, of (a) the availability of significant core teaching facilities, (b) outreach facilities and (c) integration into Local Improvement Finance Trust schemes;
	(3)  whether existing dental schools will be able to make their case for additional undergraduate dental places on the same basis as applications for new dental schools when bids for additional places are considered.

Rosie Winterton: The Government are funding 170 additional training places for dental students. A joint implementation group (JIG) made up of representatives of the higher education funding council for England (HEFCE), the Department and the national health service is managing this expansion of dental training. In April the JIG invited bids for the training places from all higher education institutions in England indicating that it would apply the following criteria to their evaluation: geographical context; innovation; quality; value for money and widening participation. Bids have been received from both universities with existing dental schools and those currently without dental schools. The JIG will be making recommendations to the HEFCE Board for consideration at its meeting on 26 January 2006.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will (a) bring forward proposals to define in statute the dental services that a primary care trust has to commission and (b) seek to ensure that the relevant legislation sets targets for primary care trusts on dentistry.

Rosie Winterton: The new arrangements for local commissioning mean a primary care trust (PCT) must commission either mandatory services for a new general dental services (GDS) contract, and either mandatory and advanced services or advanced services only in a personal dental services contract (PDS). Mandatory services are defined at regulation 14 (4) of the National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005.
	The regulations governing GDS contracts and PDS agreements do not set targets for PCTs on dentistry. In line with the approach set out in National Standards Local Action it is for PCTs to set standards or targets that are appropriate to their local circumstances.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the number of general and personal dental service dentists per head of population in (a) each strategic health authority area and (b) England.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of general dental services (GDS) andpersonal dental services (PDS) dentists per10,000 head of population in England bystrategic health authority (SHA) area as at 30 September 2005
		
			  Number of dentists Dentist per population per 10,000 
		
		
			 England 20,890 4.17 
			
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 924 4.13 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 873 5.40 
			 Essex 662 4.05 
			 North West London 1,145 6.24 
			 North Central London 766 6.24 
			 North East London 720 4.70 
			 South East London 741 4.89 
			 South West London 756 5.72 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 582 4.17 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 421 3.67 
			 North and East Yorkshire and  Northern Lincolnshire 659 3.99 
			 West Yorkshire 836 3.97 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 791 4.10 
			 Greater Manchester 1,059 4.17 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 1,063 4.51 
			 Thames Valley 1,132 5.34 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 802 4.45 
			 Kent and Medway 665 4.13 
			 Surrey and Sussex 1,427 5.54 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 1,039 4.71 
			 South West Peninsula 762 4.71 
			 Dorset and Somerset 560 4.62 
			 South Yorkshire 514 4.02 
			 Trent 1,019 3.79 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and  Rutland 579 3.64 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 602 4.01 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 930 4.09 
			 West Midlands South 707 4.53 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data includes all notifications, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 2 November 2005 for England and 19 October 2005 for SHA data. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, e.g. data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.
	2. A dentist may have a contract in more than one SHA. Therefore, data at this level may include duplication. England data excludes duplication.
	3. The dentists include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded from the data.
	4. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. SHA areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.
	5. The number of dentists per 10,000 people has been calculated using 2004 population data, as this is the most up to date available.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

Dentistry

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population in the area served by Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth primary care trust was registered with an NHS dentist in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The percentage of the population who were registered with an national health service dentist in Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth primary care trust as at 30 September each year is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of population 
		
		
			 1997 56 
			 1998 51 
			 1999 50 
			 2000 49 
			 2001 49 
			 2002 49 
			 2003 48 
			 2004 48 
			 2005 52 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Registration rates (i.e. the percentage of the population registered with a dentist) have been estimated by including registrations in the area of the dentist according to the postcode of the dental surgery (not the patient's address). So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live.
	2. The registration rates use population estimates for the primary care trust areas for the nearest year for which data are available. Figures for 1997 to 2000 have been calculated from 2001 population data. Figures for 2004 and 2004 have been calculated from 2003 population data.
	3. The changes in registration period from two years to 15 months under the General Dental Services from 1 September affected the registration numbers from December 1997 onwards, so the 1997 figures are not comparable with later figures. Data for 2004 and 2005 include some personal dental service proxy registrations, that is counts of patients seen in the past 15 months.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will commence the review of community dental services.

Rosie Winterton: The review of community dental services commenced in early 2004 and the resulting consultation document, Creating the Future was published in December 2004. The Department has since invited NHS Employers, the organisation representing national health service employing organisations, to negotiate new pay, terms and conditions for salaried primary care dentists.

Dentistry

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists have been recruited to work in Lincolnshire in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The number of dentists who have joined the general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) in the County of Lincolnshire as at 30 September each year is shown in the table.
	
		NHS dentists recruited to work in Lincolnshire 200005
		
			  Complete new entrant 
		
		
			 2005 25 
			 2004 13 
			 2003 14 
			 2002 22 
			 2001 17 
			 2000 19

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists received gross earnings from the NHS of (a) over 500,000, (b) over 250,000, (c) over 100,000 and (d) over 50,000 in each year since 1997; and what her most recent estimate is of the average net earnings a dentist receives from the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: The requested information on gross earnings is shown in the table. Gross fees cover both the dentist's net income and practice expenses.
	The estimated average general dental service (GDS) net income for a dentist with a reasonable commitment to the GDS in 200405, excluding low earners, namely those dentists with GDS earnings less than 59,100 in 200405 was 70,000. Gross fees for principal dentists also include payment for work done by their assistant dentists.
	These estimates wholly exclude income from non-GDS work.
	
		Number of General Dental Service principals in England by gross GDS fee income
		
			 Number of GDS principals in England with earnings greater than or equal to 199697 199798 199899 19992000 
		
		
			 50,000 9,438 9,321 9,290 9,318 
			 100,000 4,741 4,816 5,265 5,346 
			 250,000 167 189 274 335 
			 500,000 10 14 20 29 
			 Total Dental Rates Study Group (DRSG) population in England 13,505 13,587 13,592 13,733 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of GDS principals in England with earnings greater than or equal to 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405(46) 
		
		
			 50,000 9,327 9,257 9,205 9,134 7,580 
			 100,000 5,653 5,837 5,972 6,133 4,843 
			 250,000 412 472 558 674 638 
			 500,000 42 58 54 91 89 
			 Total Dental Rates Study Group (DRSG) population in England 13,750 13,687 13,639 13,667 12,114 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. During 200405, the proportion of dentists working in personal dental service (PDS) increased from 7 per cent. to 23 per cent. This will lead to a significant break in the general dental service earnings series. Comparable PDS earnings data are not held centrally.
	2. Payments data relate to fees for treatments and patients capitation and exclude additional elements such as seniority and commitment payments.
	3. This table uses gross GDS fee income figures for dental rates study group (DRSG).
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board payments data

Dentistry

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have (a) joined and (b) withdrawn from NHS practice in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of dentists who have joined and left the general dental services GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) n England as at 30 September each year.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS), number of dentists who have joined and left the GDS or PDS in England as at 30 September each year
		
			  Complete new entrant Complete leaver 
		
		
			 2005 2,283 1,097 
			 2004 1,632 1,224 
			 2003 1,474 1,236 
			 2002 1,523 1,352 
			 2001 1,747 1,207 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Complete new entrant means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year.
	2. Complete leaver means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population in the area served by Rushcliffe primary care trust was registered with an NHS dentist in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		The percentage of the population who were registered with a national health service dentist in Rushcliffe primary care trust (PCT) area as at 30 September each year
		
			  Population (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997 56 
			 1998 53 
			 1999 53 
			 2000 54 
			 2001 53 
			 2002 52 
			 2003 49 
			 2004 45 
			 2005 47 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Registration rates, that is the percentage of the population registered with a dentist, have been estimated by including registrations in the area of the dentist according to the postcode of the dental surgery, not the patient's address. So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live.
	2. The registration rates use population estimates for the PCT areas for the nearest year for which data is available. Figures for 19972000 have been calculated from 2001 population data. Figures for 2004 and 2005 have been calculated from 2003 population data.
	3. The changes in the registration period from two years to 15 months under the general dental services from 1 September 1996 affected the registration numbers from December 1997 onwards, so the 1997 figures are not comparable with later figures. Data for 2004 and 2005 include some personal dental service proxy registrations, that is, counts of patients seen in the past 15 months.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre

Good Hope Hospital (Waiting Times)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long a patient has had to wait on average for a (a) heart bypass, (b) breast cancer treatment, (c) hip replacement, (d) cataract treatment and (e) kidney transplant at Good Hope hospital in Sutton Coldfield in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Median time waited, in days, for selected procedures at Good Hope Hospital National Health Service Trust, 199798 to 200304
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Breast Cancer 16 12 10 12 9 9 14 
			 Cataract (46) (46) 7 9 118 12 13 
			 Heart by-pass 60 (46) (46) (46) (46) (46) (46) 
			 Hip replacement 204 208 168 185 330 212 210 
		
	
	(46) No operations in that year.
	Notes:
	1. There were no kidney transplant operations carried out in the years shown.
	2. Ungrossed dataFigures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is, the data is ungrossed.
	3. Main operationThe main operation is the first recorded operation in the HES data set and is usually the most resource intensive procedure performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main operation when looking at admission details, for example, time waited, but the figures for all operations count of episodes give a more complete count of episodes with an operation.
	4. Time waited (days)Time waited statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

General Practitioners

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of salaries for general practitioners was in the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Table 1 shows the total combined spend by primary care trusts (PCTs) in England, for both general medical services (GMS) and personal medical services (PMS), on payments to general practitioners and, since financial year 200405, practices in providing primary medical services (PMEDs) for financial years 200001 to 200405.
	The cost of salaried GMS GPs included in table 1 figures are separately reported for financial years 200001 to 200304 in table 2.
	
		Table 1: GMS/PMS total expenditure 2000 to 200405
		
			  Total GMS including PMS spend ( million) 
		
		
			 200001 3,650 
			 200102 3,816 
			 200203 4,060 
			 200304 4,623 
			 200405(47) 5,905 
		
	
	(47) 200001 to 200405 general medical practitioner figures include both combined GMS and PMS GP spend.
	Notes:
	1. Data 200001 to 200304 are based on combined discretionary, non discretionary and PMS spend.
	2. Data for 200405 nGMS Contract spend is funded solely through Discretionary Unified Allocations.
	3. All data for 2000 to 200304 are taken from the audited health authority/PCT returns for England to the NHS summarised accounts. Data for 200405 are taken from the 303 PCTs in England and are unaudited. As such they are still subject to change.
	
		Table 2: Salaried GPs 200004
		
			  GMS salaried GPs only ( million) 
		
		
			 200001 3 
			 200102 3 
			 200203 6 
			 200304 6 
			 200405 n/a 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Salaried doctors as defined under SFA para. 52 relate to GMS only and are funded through discretionary GMS spend to the unified budget.
	2. Data are taken from the HA/PCT audited returns for England 2000 to 200304 only. 3. Data from 200405 are not available centrally.
	4. Separate data for PMS salaried GPs are not available centrally.

Health Outside Hospitals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1294W, on Health Outside Hospitals, whether she had received expressions of interest to run the consultation from companies with whom the Central Office of Information did not hold framework agreements prior to the contract being awarded; when Opinion Leader Research agreed a framework agreement with the Central Office of Information; when this framework agreement was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union; and what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of restricting the number of companies to which the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say contract could be offered to those with which the Central Office of Information holds a framework agreement.

Liam Byrne: No expressions of interest were received from companies with whom the Central Office of Information (COI) did not hold framework agreements.
	Opinion Leader Research secured the current framework agreement with the Central Office of Information in December 2004. It was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union in February 2004.
	Opinion Leader Research had previous framework agreements with the Central Office of Information concurrently from 1998 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2004.
	The process of restricting the number of companies, open to tender for the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say contract, to only those whom the COI held a framework reduced the amount of time taken to procure services, from several months to a few weeks, while still conforming with procurement legislation.

Healthy Eating

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to promote healthy eating among (a) children and (b) the general population.

Caroline Flint: The Choosing Health White Paper sets out the Government's strategy to promote healthy eating among children and the general population. Action includes healthy start which reforms the welfare food scheme, the 5 A DAY programme, the school fruit and vegetable scheme, the joint Department of Health and Department of Education and Skills food in schools programme and the obesity social marketing programme.

Hemel Hempstead General Hospital

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the strategic health authority plans are for the level of services to be provided by Hemel Hempstead general hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire strategic health authority have advised that the implementation of Investing In Your Health will mean that Hemel Hempstead hospital will have the following:
	A new state-of the-art surgicentre:
	Performing thousands of elective operations every year. It should be completed by September 2007 and ready to open its doors in early October.
	Over the course of a year, a similar number of patients will be seen at Hemel Hempstead hospital as at Watford hospital.
	It will deliver all West Hertfordshire's day case surgery, most elective orthopaedic activity and most non-cancer related general surgery. It will also provide some planned day case paediatric surgery.
	Among the procedures to be performed there will be hip and knee replacements, cataracts, grommets, tonsillectomies and hernias.
	Accident and emergency (A and E) department:
	Fully medically-staffed (24 hour round the clock presence of a doctor).
	The department will not treat major trauma cases but it is expected that around 80 per cent. of the people currently visiting the A and E department would be safely cared for under the new arrangement. Patients will be seen and treated far more quickly than at present. Under current arrangements they have to wait as more urgent cases come in.
	It will include a children's rapid assessment unit where children with an illness or injury can be assessed and then either treated or sent to a more appropriate place for treatment.
	Diagnostic services:
	A full range of diagnostic services such as magnetic resonance imaging, computerised tomography scan, electrocardiogram, x-ray and blood tests will be available.
	Although most cancer treatment will be provided at the new state-of-the-art Hatfield hospital cancer unit, many diagnostic minor illness or injury will be seen and treated far more quickly than at present as under current arrangements they have to wait as more urgent cases come in.

Hemel Hempstead General Hospital

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to reopen York Ward at Hemel Hempstead Hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 November 2005
	Any decision regarding the re-opening of York Ward at Hemel Hempstead Hospital is a matter for the local national health service, which has the responsibility for the reconfiguration and delivery of local services, working in partnership with the communities it serves.

HIV/AIDS

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to tackle HIV/AIDS.

Caroline Flint: Measures to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS were set out in the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV (2001) and the public health White Paper Choosing Health, published last November, available from the Library and from the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/05/89/45/04058945.pdf.
	These measures include targeted HIV prevention and health promotion work with those most at risk of HIV infection, such as gay men and African communities, provided through community organisations such as the Terence Higgins Trust and the African HIV Policy Network. The Choosing Health White Paper also announced a new high profile national campaign, to promote safer sex messages, aimed at reducing the prevalence and spread of all sexually transmitted infections including HIV. On 1 December, the Department published for consultation and action plan to tackle HIV related stigma and discrimination, which is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/39/93/04123993.pdf.
	In addition to these national measures, primary care trusts are responsible for providing HIV prevention and services which meet the needs of their local populations. To support them in this role, the Department, working with professional bodies, has published recommended standards for national health service HIV services; a toolkit of best practice for sexual health promotion, and guidance on commissioning.

Influenza

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what priority she gives to workers in the energy industry in her contingency plans to protect key workers in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.

Rosie Winterton: It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal 'flu, avian 'flu and pandemic 'flu. Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds. Seasonal 'flu refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and causes widespread illness each winter. Pandemic 'flu will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can spread easily between humans, and to which they do not have immunity.
	The Government are building a stockpile of antiviral drugs to treat people who become ill with pandemic 'flu rather than for prophylaxis. Since the stockpile of Tamiflu is intended to be large enough to cover all of those likely to become ill, the issue of prioritisation between competing claims for antiviral drugs ought not to arise. However, if a pandemic strikes before the stockpile is complete or the clinical attack rate is higher than expected, antivirals will need to be prioritised, initially health care workers, and to those who fall into one of the clinical at risk groups, as defined by seasonal 'flu. Once a vaccine for the pandemic 'flu strain has been developed, health care workers and other essential service key workers may need to be vaccinated first, as it will be important to maintain health and other essential services.
	Final decisions will be made based on emerging information about the pandemic virus. However, given it is unlikely that a vaccine will be available for the first wave of a pandemic, it is important that businesses consider how they would maintain services.

Influenza

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make use of (a) schools, (b) village halls and (c) other public buildings as temporary health care facilities in the event of an influenza pandemic; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: These are issues for local planners. The UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan contains estimates of potential impact on primary and secondary care which local planners can use to ensure that their contingency plans are appropriate for a potential influenza pandemic. We have also provided operational guidance to the national health service on preparing for an influenza pandemic to help organisations formulate their plans.

Mental Health

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the objectives of (a) the Mental Health National Service Framework and (b) the NHS Plan since 2000 in (i) North West Leicestershire and (ii) England.

Rosie Winterton: The implementation of the national service framework for mental health is envisaged to take 10 years and a comprehensive account of the progress made in the first half of the implementation period is available in the national director for mental health's report, The National Service Framework for Mental HealthFive Years On.
	Most of the targets set for mental health services in the NHS Plan have now been met. At the end of March, there were 343 crisis resolution, 262 assertive and 109 early intervention teams in England. In addition, 1,520 community gateway, 654 carer support and 648 graduate primary care staff were employed in the national health service.
	Since the publication of the NHS Plan, 205 secure beds and 75 specialist rehabilitation hostel places for people with personality disorders have been created. The NHS Plan included a target to move up to 400 inappropriately placed patients out of the high security hospitals, which was achieved by its end of 2004 target date. All prisoners with severe mental health illness now have a care plan and 360 prison in-reach staff have been recruited to help manage prisoners with severe mental illness.
	At the end of March, Leicester Partnership NHS Trust, which delivers mental health services in North West Leicestershire, was providing six crisis resolution, one early intervention and four assertive outreach teams. In addition, 38.7 whole-time equivalent (wte) graduate primary care, 10 wte community gateway and 2.2 wte carer support staff were employed by the Leicester Partnership NHS Trust at the end of March.

Mental Health

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Healthcare Commission on measures to improve the performance of NHS mental health services.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has worked closely with the Healthcare Commission on the development of performance indicators for assessing mental heath services in 200506 and expects to do so for 200607. This covers the assessment of both mental health provider trusts and the commissioning role of primary care trusts. The Healthcare Commission's assessments of mental health services are based on the framework of standards and objectives set out in National Standards, Local ActionHealth and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework for 200506 to 200708.

NHS Pensions Agency

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact on staff employed to deliver NHS student grants and bursaries at Hesketh House in Fleetwood when the NHS Pensions Agency based on that site is contracted out of the Department;
	(2)  how many organisations put in bids to take up the contract to run the NHS Pensions Agency;
	(3)  if she will place in the Library the business case produced on the contracting out of the NHS Pensions Agency;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact on jobs at Hesketh House in Fleetwood of the contracting out of the work of the NHS Pensions Agency;
	(5)  what consultation she expects the new NHS Business Services Authority to undertake when it implements the process of contracting out the NHS Pensions Agency;
	(6)  if she will list those she consulted on the decision to contract out the work of the NHS Pensions Agency;
	(7)  when the decision was made to contract out the work of the NHS Pensions Agency based at Hesketh House in Fleetwood.

Jane Kennedy: The NHS Pensions Agency is to become part of the Business Services Authority (BSA) on 1 April 2006. This was first announced in the report, Reconfiguring the Department of Health's Arm's Length Bodies published in July 2004. This report reflected Government policy to reduce costs of administration through modernisation of systems and use of private sector capability where appropriate. The Implementation Framework for Reconfiguring the DH's Arm's Length Bodies:, redistributing resources to the NHS frontline published in November 2004 built on this approach. In implementing these reports, consideration is being given to market testing a wide range of the BSA's functions, not just those of the NHS Pensions Agency.
	Following a review of the NHS Pensions Agency by KPMG, a report recommending full outsourcing of this mostly administrative business was published on 21 May 1998. The decision to outsource elements of the business was announced on 6 March 2000. The KPMG report was placed in the Library of the House on the same day. Expressions of interest were invited through the official Journal of the European Community on 20 June 2000 and 33 organisations responded.
	The outcome of the procurement process was to award a contract covering about half of the NHS Pensions Agency's functions to Paymaster (1836) Limited with an option to expand to all its functions at a point in the future. The contractual terms agreed at that time obliged the NHS Pensions Agency to negotiate with Paymaster (1836) Limited first on any proposed expansion of the outsourcing arrangements.
	Should a decision be made to expand the existing outsourcing arrangements at the NHS Pensions Agency, full consultation will be undertaken with both trade unions and employees.
	If outsourcing some or all of the NHS Pensions Agency is extended as a result of current negotiations, employees dealing with NHS Pensions and the student bursary scheme will transfer to the private sector partner under the provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.
	The resulting contract with the private sector supplier will reflect the principles of the Joint Statement of Good Practice issued on 6 October 2005 by the Department, NHS Employers, the Confederation of British Industry and the Business Services Association, together with a number of trade unions. That statement commits private sector suppliers who contract with the NHS to meet minimum standards on pay, conditions of service and work force issues.
	Similarly, contractors are required to offer all transferring NHS employees membership of a pension scheme broadly comparable to the NHS scheme.

Nurses

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have been employed by Lancashire NHS Teaching Trust in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Nurses employed by Lancashire National Health Service Teaching Trust, 1997 to 2004 Headcount
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(58) 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Chorley and South Ribble 701 746 775 772 603 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Preston Acute 1,272 1,234 1,264 1,256 1,330 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Lancashire Teaching n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,915 1,928 1,855 
			 Total 1,973 1,980 2,039 2,028 1,933 1,915 1,928 1,855 
		
	
	(58) The Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 2002 following a merger of the Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust with the Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Nurses

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses are practising in Ribble Valley constituency.

Rosie Winterton: Information relating to the number of qualified nurses, national health service hospital and community health services, employed by the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley primary care trust (PCT) in the school nursing area of work as at 30 September 2004 is shown in the table.
	
		Practising school nurses in Ribble Valley Headcount
		
			  Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 
		
		
			 All qualified school nurses13 
			 Qualified school nurses(59) 3 
			 School nursing nurses(60) 10 
		
	
	(59) Only registered nurses with a specific school nursing qualification are defined as qualified school nurses.
	(60) Other qualified nurses who work in the school nursing area of work but who do not hold a specific school nursing qualification.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Non-Medical Workforce Census 2004

Nurses

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent NHS nurses have been employed by the NHS in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All qualified nurses in hospitals and primary care, including practice nurses employed by unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)(61), in England; 19972004 Full-time equivalent
		
			  All qualified nurses HCHS qualified nurses Practice nurses(62) 
		
		
			 1997 256,093 246,011 10,082 
			 1998 257,597 247,238 10,359 
			 1999 261,340 250,651 10,689 
			 2000 266,987 256,276 10,711 
			 2001 277,334 266,171 11,163 
			 2002 291,285 279,287 11,998 
			 2003 304,892 291,925 12,967 
			 2004 315,440 301,877 13,563 
		
	
	(61) UPEs includes GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs
	(62) Data as at 1 October 1997 to 1999 and 30 September 2000 to 2004
	Notes:
	1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	3. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	4. Figures exclude learners and agency staff.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census
	Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Ostomy, Incontinence and Wound Care

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England are receiving (a) ostomy, (b) incontinence and (c) wound care (i) products and (ii) services from the NHS.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects final proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts to be published; whether these proposals will be put out for public consultation; and when she expects the proposals to be given effect.

Liam Byrne: On 15 October, strategic health authorities (SHAs) submitted their proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs), which set out how they intend to strengthen their commissioning function. These proposals were assessed by an independent external panel drawn from and representing a wide range of stakeholder interests, to determine whether the SHA proposals meet the criteria stipulated in Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS (July 2005).
	Following consideration by the external panel and Ministers, proposals for PCT reconfiguration will go forward for local consultation in December. The consultation period will begin on 14 December, running for 14 weeks.
	No decisions on the reorganisation of PCTs will be taken until this process has been completed. However, we anticipate, subject to local consultation, that the first organisational changes will come into effect from early summer.

Public Service Agreements

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she will measure progress towards meeting her Department's Public Service Agreement target to offer a personalised care plan for vulnerable people most at risk.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health (Caroline Flint) to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on Monday 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 17056W.

Respiratory Diseases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Rainham and Wennington and South Hornchurch wards and (b) the remaining wards of the London borough of Havering were diagnosed with (i) lung cancer, (ii) asthma, (iii) pneumonia and (iv) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each of the last five years; and what the national average number of cases of each disease was in each year.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected centrally for all the conditions that are being requested. However the information in the table shows the number of newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer in South Hornchurch, Rainham and Wennington ward and the London borough of Havering and England for the period covering 1999 to 2003.
	
		Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer by selected areas and England, 19992003
		
			 Area 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Total 
		
		
			 South Hornchurch ward 11 14 8 7 15 55 
			 Rainham and Wennington ward 9 9 8 7 8 41 
			 Total for the remaining wards of Havering London borough 128 155 159 107 154 703 
			 England 31,778 31,439 31,131 30,322 29,889 154,559 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Sexual Health

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was available to (a) North Somerset primary care trust and (b) all English primary care trusts for sexual health-related issues in the last year for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for providing sexual health services which meet the needs of their local populations. Records are not held centrally of the amounts made available for sexual health by each PCT.
	In addition to local allocations, certain additional amounts of funding have been allocated by the Department in order to implement the national strategy for sexual health and HIV, and the sexual health elements of the Choosing Health White Paper. North Somerset PCT have received 125,000 for 200405. For all English PCTs, the total figure for 200405 is 37,765,000 capital and revenue funding.

Smoking

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have suffered observable damage as a result of their mothers smoking during pregnancy in each year for the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The figures requested are not routinely collected.
	The national health service leaflet, Smoking in Pregnancy sets out the substantial risks that smoking in pregnancy presents including slow growth of the foetus, premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and cot death. A copy of the leaflet is available in the Library.

Spinal Injuries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the spinal injuries units in England; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There are 11 spinal injury units in the United Kingdom. Eight of theses specialist spinal cord injury centres are based in England and are listed as follows:
	The North of England Spinal Injuries Centre
	The James Cook University Hospital
	Marton Road, Middlesbrough
	Cleveland TS4 3BW
	The Midland's Centre for Spinal Injuries
	The Robert Jones  Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital
	Oswestry
	Shropshire SY10 7AG
	The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre
	Salisbury District Hospital
	Odstock Road
	Salisbury SP2 8BJ
	The Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Unit
	Northern General Hospital
	Osborne Building
	Merries Road
	Sheffield S5 7AU
	The Regional Spinal Injuries Centre
	Southport and Formby General Hospital
	Town Lane
	Kew
	Southport PR8 6NJ
	The London Spinal Injuries Unit
	Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
	Brockley Hill
	Stanmore HA7 4LP
	National Spinal Injuries Centre
	Stoke Mandeville Hospital
	Mandeville Road
	Aylesbury
	Bucks HP21 SAL
	Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Unit
	Pinderfields General Hospital
	Aberford Road
	Wakefield WF1 4DG
	Following the year-long review that the Department announced in April, 2003, new arrangements for the commissioning of specialised services were introduced. Strategic health authorities and primary care trusts now have responsibility for the planning, commissioning and monitoring of specialised services, working collaboratively within regional commissioning consortia. They should assess the healthcare needs of their population and commission services for their local area.

Worcestershire NHS Mental Health Trust

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget was for the Worcestershire NHS Mental Health Trust in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership National Health Service Trust was established (as the Worcestershire Community and Mental Health NHS Trust) on 1 April 2000. Comparable figures are not available prior to 200001.
	The following tables show the total income for the trust each year.
	
		Worcestershire community and mental health NHS trust Total income: 000
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 200001 82,692 
			 200102 89,824 
			 200203 52,241 
		
	
	
		Worcestershire mental health partnership NHS trust Total income: 000
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 200304 49,971 
			 200405 58,808 
		
	
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the Worcestershire Community and Mental Health NHS Trust and the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.